Mississippi Home of Your Own (HOYO) will sponsor a free, one-day homebuyer education workshop Saturday, Feb. 14, for any residents in Hinds and surrounding counties interested in buying a home. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Andrew Jackson Conference Room on the first floor of the Warren Hood Building at 200 South President Street in Jackson.

Runners, walkers and friends of The Children's Center for Communication and Development at The University of Southern Mississippi will be “ready, set, go” on Saturday, Feb. 28 when The Children's Center Classic kicks off.

The University of Southern Mississippi has partnered with the Republic of Panama in an initiative known as Panama Bilingue [Bilingual Panama], a project implemented by the president of Panama to ensure his citizens are bilingual in Spanish and English.

With antibiotic-resistant Staph infection becoming more prevalent – especially in the southeastern U.S. -- researchers at The University of Southern Mississippi and Forrest General Hospital embarked on a campaign to reduce the morbidity and mortality in those affected by Staph infections.

For the past decade, Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage (COHCH) at The University of Southern Mississippi have been sharing the stories of real people who have lived through some of the most dramatic moments in the nation’s history. Beginning Feb. 2, this special program will begin airing Monday-Friday at 12:30 p.m. on MPB Radio.

More than 1,000 researchers, students and professors from across the state will convene at The University of Southern Mississippi’s Thad Cochran Center on Feb. 26-27 for the Mississippi Academy of Sciences’ Annual Meeting.

Dr. Megan McCay, residence life coordinator for academic initiatives and assessment at The University of Southern Mississippi, speaks at a workshop during the Student Leadership Summit held Jan. 30 at the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus. (University Communications photo by David Tisdale)

Retired Maj. Gen. Jeff Hammond, left, talks with University of Southern Mississippi student Corey Henderson during the open house for the Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families Jan. 30. Henderson, a senior from Pearl, Miss. majoring in criminal justice and political science, served five years in the U.S. Marines. Hammond serves as director of the Center.

The Center’s mission is to offer sustainable conditions for a “military-friendly” education support program that provides veterans, service members (active duty, Reserve Component and National Guard), dependents (family members) and survivors (VSDS) the opportunity to pursue a degree at Southern Miss. For more information about the Center, call 601.264.4629 or visit: www.usm.edu/military-veterans.

The fifth annual Educators Connect conference, set for Tuesday, Feb. 17 at The University of Southern Mississippi, will offer sessions highlighting innovative strategies and practical resources for educators. The 2015 conference theme, Faculty Practices for Engaging Learners, emphasizes both traditional and innovative methods that have shown potential to improve student learning outcomes.

Hattiesburg’s fourth annual Caerus Mardi Gras Parade is set for Saturday, Feb. 7 beginning at 11 a.m., and members of The University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg campus community are invited to the event. The parade has grown in popularity, with an increase in entries and crowds taking part in this signature Pine Belt event.

Dr. Stan Kuczaj, professor of psychology at The University of Southern Mississippi and director of its Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory, has been selected a Fellow with American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is one of only six psychologists chosen for the prestigious honor.

University Librarians Michele Frasier-Robinson and Elena Azadbakht of The University of Southern Mississippi have been elected to statewide office with the Association of College and Research Libraries, Mississippi Chapter of the Mississippi Library Association (MLA-ACRL).

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Symphony Orchestra presents an exciting and rare program featuring the venerable symphony orchestra and the combined forces of Southern Miss and guest choirs in two world premieres. The program, entitled The Prodigal for one of the premieres, takes place Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Main Street Baptist Church.

Cagney Weaver, a Biloxi native and University of Southern Mississippi alumna, is the first Biloxi School District teacher to be recognized with the prestigious Milken Educator Award. Only 40 teachers across the United States receive the Milken Award annually.

Dr. Jill Taylor, director of the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center, will be the featured presenter for The University of Southern Mississippi’s University Forum Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Trent Lott Center, room 103 A-D. Dr. Taylor’s presentation topic will be “Guarding our present and future: The public health laboratory network in America.” Admission is free.

Students in The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work will host a pre-Valentine’s Day Ballroom Dance Saturday, Jan. 31 from 2-4 p.m. for residents of Alden Pointe Assisted Living and Memory Care in Hattiesburg. Alden Pointe is located at 2 Courtland Drive.

Music and dance lessons will be provided by the Hattiesburg chapter of USA Dance. For more information, call the Southern Miss School of Social Work at 601.266.4163.

Local artists and crafts vendors are invited to be part of the 6th Annual Southern Miss Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday, April 4, at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park campus in Long Beach.

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Research Initiative on Social Justice and Equity (RISE), Office of Multicultural Programs and Services, and Student Association of Social Workers will sponsor Social Justice Movie Night Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m. in Gonzales Auditorium (room 108) of the Liberal Arts Building on the Hattiesburg campus. The featured movie is “Come Hell or High Water: The Battle for Turkey Creek.” Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.

Homelessness is a devastating experience for women and children. The Project Recovery Rapid Re-housing program administered by The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) is available to assist homeless families of women and children in Forrest, Adams, Pike, Lauderdale and Marion counties.

The University of Southern Mississippi will welcome guest lecturer Carey Fee, a doctoral candidate at Florida State University, who will present “Trail Mix: How Pilgrims and Politics Shaped Sacred Monuments of Medieval Europe.” The lecture will be held Thursday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Gallery of Art and Design in the George Hurst Building on the Hattiesburg campus. The event is free and open to the public.

University Police have arrested two individuals in connection with a call made to the UPD Wednesday morning regarding possible weapons displayed on The University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg campus. One of those taken into custody is a Southern Miss student, Elijah Culpepper, 21, of Hattiesburg who was booked into Forrest County Regional Jail this afternoon.

An award-winning journalist who made civil rights history in higher education will be the guest speaker for the spring 2015 Armstrong-Branch Lecture at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, one of two students to desegregate then all-white University of Georgia in 1961, will present “From Closed Doors to Open Roads: A Journalist’s Journey” Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium.

Interest has been so significant in The University of Southern Mississippi’s initial MBA online classes that College of Business officials will offer the entire program through an online delivery format by 2016. Students can start now to take two classes per term and complete the MBA program in approximately two years.